BSF Genesis: Week 5, Day 5

12.
There are 2 parts to this challenge:
Where did the woman come from? Gen 5:4 says Adam had other sons and daughters
How did she become his wife? Gen 2:24 man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife

13.
a. Cain was then building a city named after Enoch
b. Jabal was father of those who live in tents and raise livestock
c. Tubal-Cain forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron
d. Jubal was father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes
e. Lamech’s prose/poetry in his address to his wives

14.
a.
God said Cain would be a restless wanderer on the earth, he built a city

b.
Lamach married 2 women and killed a man for wounding him

15.
a.
No mention of God only of accomplishments resulting from God-given gifts and knowledge. Architecture, music, culture, craftsmanship, commerce and the arts are from God, but if we leave him out then we begin to worship the gift instead of the giver

b.
I do it each time I take credit for my own gain and/or gifts. None of that belongs to me, it is from God.

My Daily Journal:

The question about Cain getting a wife made me ponder that fact. I think most people will focus on where did the woman come from in their answer, but I think the bigger question is how did they get married and become husband and wife. God ordained marriage when he made Eve for Adam as bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. God not only setup the idea of marriage, but he was a part of the first marriage ceremony. This was His design. In most Christian marriages, the commitment made is a 3-way promise between the husband, the wife, and God. But Cain had decided to “be hidden from God’s presence”. So how did he get married? Who performed the ceremony if there was one? Did they exchange vows with each other or did he just whack her over the head too, ala caveman style? I ponder this because I think it shows a pattern from the very earliest days of man that, in our sinful nature, we try to pick and choose from the buffet of the things God has provided.

Love my brother, repent, sacrifice… I’ll pass on those. But I want a big church wedding, just leave all the God stuff out of it. Consult God about who I’m supposed to marry? Nah, I can do that without His help.

We do this with marriages, we do it with holidays, we do it with days of rest, we do it with any of the other sacraments and stations and gifts of God and the church. We pick and choose. In the process, we lose out. By trying to keep the structure without the creator, we end up with a 2 legged stool or a handful of silk flowers. It doesn’t work, they may be nice to look at, but they are still fake and not the real deal.

I am appreciative to have God as a partner in our marriage and our family and I wish that for all couples. You can “get married” without God, but it is not the real deal (because God was part of the deal).

Finally, I loved how Lamech tried to be the Freddie Mercury of his generation: Wives, I’ve killed a man…